Category: Internet of Things

The cloud has allowed the IoT to emerge. What is the IoT? It is a term that describes the growing network of objects that can communicate with each other and complete tasks without any human involvement having to take place. In November 2014, Gartner stated that there will be 4.9 billion connected “things” in use by the end of 2015, Wow!

With all these connected devices, connectivity will be the biggest part of it. 5G is being called the smartest network ever and is required for IoT to be successful.

All of us will need to know about the IoT! Here’s 3 items that are in all the IoT space!

Internet of Everything. ABI Research summed it up well by explaining that the IoE has three subsystems: IoT, the Internet of Humans (human input to machines in any form) and the Internet of Digital (generating data and communicating it on for further use).

The Raspberry Pi is a series of credit card-sized single-board computers developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools.

MQTT. In order to allow IoT data to flow from producers (sensors on the field) to consumers (IT backends, web apps, etc.), MQTT is an OASIS standard that implements a publish-subscribe communication model. It has several QoS levels making it easy to find the perfect tradeoff between reliability and resources/bandwidth usage.

Now, I’m no Einstein, but I do want to offer you three thoughts in the spirit of this quote. Three key ideas to keep in mind when developing or optimizing your strategy for the Internet of Things.

First, the IOT is both like, and unlike, the Internet. Based on our experience across a diverse set of industries and clients, …

… there is an approximately 70 percent overlap between the two. So there is no question that if you have a highly effective Internet strategy, you’re far ahead of those who don’t. Because that Internet strategy proves that you’re already well equipped for the majority of what the IoT will throw at you.

But it also means there is a 30 percent piece that is unique.

And like most things, the devil of the IoT is in the details. In other words, to be successful moving forward, we must focus on the unique aspects of the IoT. And the truth is that if we don’t respect those differences, failure is inevitable.

OK, then what are the aspects of the IoT that make it unique from the Internet? For simplicity, we’ve categorized those things into four primary areas.

1. Different devices. And more of them. And new ones being invented virtually every day. It is within those devices that the potential to create this common language of the IoT begins; that is the genesis point for unity.

2. Different protocols. Different rules for data exchange between different systems. Again, if we think about the Tower of Babel analogy, the potential exists with the IoT, but if we aren’t speaking the same language, or at least using protocols that are compatible, what good is it to us?

3. Different types of analysis. And of course, different types of data that are all growing at an exponential rate. And then there’s all the historical data, ripe with value, that has yet to be tapped. How will it be analyzed? How can you refine your focus and make this now seemingly unmanageable task manageable once again?

4. And different partners. Yes, of course it is good to be strong in business processes and operations. But achieving IoT success means having the skills and capabilities that neither IT organizations nor industrial organizations have alone. It will require the right kind of partnerships, the right teams coming and working together to achieve a common goal.

So that’s the first key idea, the importance of focusing on that which differentiates the IoT from the Internet and refining your expertise, skills and partnerships to capitalize on those differences. To transform those technical challenges into business opportunities.

I really had a great time at TiEcon this past week. What an event! From my Internet of Things keynote to the Watson presence and BlueMix workshop, the largest entrepreneur conference in the world was packed with a phenomenal array of business and thought leaders from across the planet!

Today we are going to explore the Internet of Things which promises to far surpass the disruption we’ve already seen with the smartphone. You can expect to see vast amounts of data generated opening up whole new industries, like that around the Connected Car: